Mail-bag holder.



F. E. MUMILLIN.

MAIL BAG HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.18, 1913.

Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

' 1 I fife/rig H45 NORRIi PETERS CO. PHOYOd-ITHCL. WASHINGTON. D. C.

purrnp STATES PATENT orrrcn.

FRANK E. MCMILLIN, 0F BROOKLYN, NEYV YORK, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO HARRYH. SHULTS, OF GO'WANDA, NEW YORK.

MAIL-BAG HOLDER.

Application filed November 18, 1913.

T0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK E. MCMILLIN,

in mail bag holders, and particularly to a construction of holder onwhich the bag may be readily and quickly applied and through the mediumof which the bag will be held fully distended for the reception of mailmatter.

The main object of the invention resides in the provision of a mail bagholder with which the bag is connected and held by the usual draw stringof the bag, the form of the holder maintaining the bag fully distendedand automatically releasing the bag upon the loosening of the drawstring, the full distension of the bag adapting it for the con venientreception of parcel post mail matter as well as other types of suchmatter.

A further object is the provision of a frame particularly constructedfor the application thereto of a plurality of holders, whereby tosupport a number of mail bags in such convenient and accessiblecondition as to provide a practical structure for the purpose.

The invention in the preferred form of details will be described in thefollowing specification, reference being had particularly to theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a broken perspective view illustrating the improved holderand showing a mail bag in position thereon in dotted outline. Fig. 2 isan enlarged broken elevation showing one of the holders. Fig. 3 is asection on line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4: is a broken elevation showing aslightly modified form of holder.

Referrin particularly to the accompanying drawings, the improved mailbag holder embodies a suitable supporting frame constructed with a Viewto properly elevating the bags and carrying the desired number. I havetherefore shown a suitable type of frame, designed in this instance toreceive six bags, though it is to be understood that by suchillustration no limitation with respect to the specific structure of theframe,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

Serial No. 801,710.

or to its adaptation to a greater or less number of bags, is intended.

The frame illustrated is constructed mainly of pipe sections andcouplings therefor, including a rectangular upper section 1, having siderods 2, end rods 3, and a longitudinal center rod 4, the latter beingarranged between and parallel with the side rods. The upper section 1 ofthe frame is supported at a proper height from a suitable rollersupported base (not shown), by corner uprights 5, the latter as well asthe parts of the upper section 1, being connected into a substantialstructure by couplings 6, of appropriate type.

The holders proper, in the preferred form, comprise bars 7 of a lengthapproximating the maximum transverse dimension of the mail bag. The barsare designed for use on edge and are turned downwardly at the ends at S,the terminals thus presenting gradually curved portions with the extremeends located inwardly of the maximum curved projection.

The holders are secured to the side rods 2 and the center rods L of theupper section of the frame, each bag holder including two oppositelylocated holding bars 7. Brackets 9 support the respective holding bars,each bracket including a strip partly encircling the frame rod and beingsecured thereto at 10, and a depending section to which the bars 7 areriveted or otherwise secured. In use with the side rods 2, the bracketsare of the single type as shown, while on the center rod 4 the holdersare of the double type, embodying two depending portions, as said centerrod is designed to support two sets of holding bars 7, as will beapparent from Fig. 1.

By means of the brackets 9 the bars 7 are arranged in opposing pairswith their upper edges below and in spaced relation to the adjacentframe rod, the bars 7 extending longitudinally of the frame section.

The bags 11 are secured on the holders, each of which holders includestwo parallel bars 7, by passing the mouth of the bag over the curvedends 8 of the particular pair of bars 7, and slightly contracting saidbag mouth by the usual draw string 12. The bag is thus supported on thecurved edges of the bar 7, and held distended by said bars, thearrangement presenting the maximum opening through the bag for thereception of the mail matter. When a bag is to be released from theholder, the draw string is simply loosened, whereupon the weight of thebag carries it off the curved ends of the bars, the peculiar curvatureof said bars avoiding any obstruction to the release movement of thebag.

In Fig. at I have shown a slight modification, in that instead of asingle bar 7, I use two shorter lengths of bar 13, the outer end 14 ofwhich are curved as in the preferred form. The brackets 9 used with themodified form are so spaced on the frame rods as to maintain the curvedends of the two bars 13 spaced to correspond with the spacing of thecurved ends of the single bar 7, whereby the effect and operation of themodified form is identical with that of the preferred form.-

The side rod 2 and the center rod 4c are preferably utilized as supportsfor card holders 15 of any desired type, in which holders cardsindicative of the destination of the particular bag, or other desiredinformation, may be temporarily held.

The improvement is particularly useful in permitting the convenientapplication and removal of mail bags and for holding such bags withwidely distended mouths to facilitate the placing of the mail mattertherein, being in this particular advantageous in the distribution ofparcel post packages. The automatic release of the bags from the holdersis particularly important as it insures a saving of time and labor andavoids any possibility of injury to the mail bag or its contents.

What is claimed is 1. A mail bag holder including separate oppositerigid bars having outwardly, downwardly and inwardly turned ends, saidends being free of projection to permit the bag margin to freely slidethereover.

2. In a mail bag holder, a plurality of separate spaced bars, each ofsaid bars having on each end a bag receiver element formed by outwardlyand downwardly curving the bar terminal, the outwardly and downwardlycurved ends of all bars being free of projection to permit the bagmargin to freely slide thereover, the extreme ends of the bar terminalsbeing inwardly of the point of maximum curvature projection whereby toavoid bag engagement with said.

extreme ends.

3. A bag holder including a frame and opposite bars rigidly connected toand depending from said frame, said bars presenting rigid strips havingtheir ends outwardly and downwardly curved and wholly free ofprojection, the bag being engaged over the ends of opposite bars topresent an unobstructed bag opening between said bars.

In testimon whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK E. MGMILLIN.

Witnesses JOHN M. MGMIL IN, E. A. MOMILLIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. C.

